Submitted by his wife

Carl absolutely loved being a fireman. He was known for saying‚ ‘and they pay us for this!’ When he was a little boy he dreamed of being a fireman and in 1980 his dream came true. He loved fighting fires‚ rendering medical aid‚ the rescues‚ working the scene‚ and the lights and sirens.

By 1986 Carl was an engineer for the Mesa Fire Department and pursuing his degree in Fire Science. The man who didn’t like school was pulling straight A’s. Then on June 30‚ 1986 he was on the way to a training exercise when his LTI made national news. It collided with a dump truck full of wet mortar sand. It was a horrible accident and sent four firemen to the hospital. One died during surgery and Carl was to spend the remainder of his life dealing with terrific pain‚ 27 hours a day‚ as he would say.

Carl filled those long hours‚ when he could work‚ in a woodshop. He built so many things such as rocking horses‚ shelves‚ pinewood derby plaques‚ picture frames. Sometimes he would weld things‚ pool fences‚ gates‚ and trailers. He did work for the church and for the neighborhood. He gathered his six children and played with them. He received an award for courage and was Arizona’s Firefighter of the Year in 1987. We will always love him and cherish his memory.